Bizman, friend duped of Rs 20L in fake I-T raid

NOIDA: Two persons were arrested on Friday for duping a Delhi-based businessman and his friend of Rs 20 lakh in new currency notes in a fake income tax raid in Noida. The businessman, Vikas Vashisht, and his friend, Tricha Dalal, came to Noida on December 13 to exchange new currency notes with old ones for a commission, but was duped. The role of a sub-inspector and his friend, who conducted a fake raid, is also under scanner.
The arrested have been identified as Lalit Wadhwa (40), who runs a beverages company in Noida, and Deepak Chawla (45), a middleman.Chawla works as a clerk in a bank in Delhi.
Vashisht and Dalal came in contact with Chawla in Delhi. Chawla told them that he would get them a lucrative commission if they could exchange their new currency notes with old ones. Vashisht was promised 12% commission on exchange of new notes with old notes. Chawla told them about a person, Lalit Wadhwa in Noida, who had some old notes and needed to exchange.
Vashisht and Dalal gave Rs 10 lakh each and came to meet Wadhwa in his office in Sector 6 on December 13. “We came with Rs 20 lakh cash of new currency notes. We put the cash bag on the table and started the deal. Suddenly two persons entered the room and identified themselves as a sub-inspector and an official of the I-T department. The SI was in uniform bearing the nameplate of ‘J S Sharma.’ They said it was an I-T raid and that we were caught doing illegal dealings,” he told the police.
However, the officer and the I-T officer swiftly left with the cash bag. Vashisht then registered an FIR in Sector 20 police station. Gaurav Grover, ASP, Noida said police arrested Wadhwa and Chawla. “During interrogation they admitted to have made a plot and duped the businessman,” he said.
Wadhwa said he shared the information about the deal with his friend and SI J S Sharma, who works with Ghaziabad police. Sharma came to his office with a friend, who disguised himself as an officer of I-T department, and conducted a fake raid. Wadhwa said he decided to cheat the businessman, as he felt that the victim will not speak to police as they can’t disclose the source of new notes. Wadhwa said he did not know the person who came with Sharma.
The police tried to trace the sub-inspector but he is at large. Vashisht said he will reveal the source of the new notes to the I-T department if required.